Kate joins royals at London waxwork museum

LONDON, April 5 — Prince William’s wife Kate made her first entry into the world-famous Madame Tussauds in London yesterday as new figures of the couple were unveiled for the first time.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s figure wears a replica of the blue Issa dress she wore at their engagement announcement in November 2010, with a version of the sapphire and diamond ring once owned by William’s mother Diana on her finger.

Picture shows waxwork models of Kate and Prince William during their unveiling at Madame Tussauds waxwork museum in London on April 4, 2012. — AFP pic“It was such an iconic moment in time — that’s what people wanted to see here at Madame Tussauds,” museum spokeswoman Liz Edwards told AFP.

The prince was previously represented in the attraction’s royal throne room but a new wax figure has been created to stand alongside Kate’s, this time wearing a navy two-piece suit by tailors Gieves and Hawkes.

New likenesses of the royal couple were also unveiled yesterday at Madame Tussauds in New York, where Kate wears a replica Alexander McQueen gown, and in Amsterdam, where she wears a lace Temperley London dress.

Each wax figure cost £150,000 (RM720,000) and took a team of experts four months to make.

All three versions capture Kate’s broad smile and her trademark glossy hair, which is already proving to be a big hit with visitors.

“Everybody’s asked to come and see the hair, to touch the hair because, let’s face it, she’s got a fantastic set of locks,” Edwards said.

Madame Tussauds had hoped to include the couple in their collection before now, nearly one year after their lavish wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29, but they had been waiting to get them in for a sitting.

“We hoped to have that before the wedding but it wasn’t possible because they were so busy and since then they’ve had other commitments,” Edwards said.

“It just got to the point where we had to work with the palace but without the sitting in order to get them done for their first year anniversary — because people were honestly crying out to see them here.”

Until now the model of Queen Elizabeth II was the most popular attraction, standing alongside her husband Prince Philip, their son Prince Charles, his late wife Diana and current wife Camilla, and the Princes William and Harry.

But this is likely to change, as visitors flocked to the new figures yesterday.

Michiels Ralfons, a teacher from Belgium on holiday with his family, was among the first to get a look at William and Kate in London.

“There were many people around the models so it was not so easy to get close and have a look. But we thought Kate looked much better than William,” he said. — AFP-Relaxnews

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